Will increasing exercise help?

Question

I have lost 60 lbs over the last 5 months and have started to gain some of it back if I increase my exercise and cut out the sm amount of sweets that I eat will I be able to lose the rest? rarely eat any tpye of junk food eat sm breakfast and lunch, then have a sensible dinner.
how long do you think it would take to see results?

Answer 1

It's much easier to lose weight when you have more to lose. Now that you're almost at your ideal weight your body is fighting to protect your energy reserves. It's also trying to get back some of it's lost fat. It's frustrating, but your body doesn't have the same goals you do. It wants to store fat in case you can't find food for an extended period of time. Just stick with what has worked for you already and be patient.

Exercising more will help, so will cutting out sweets. Don't go to crazy with the diet, though. Not eating enough will slow down your metabolism and make weight loss harder.

Answer 2

Its great that you were able to lose such a significant amount, I'm sure it was hard. Good for you! But yes, cutting out the sweets and increasing your cardio workout are sure ways to avoid gaining the weight back, and be able to lose more. You don't have to avoid sweets altogether, you can treat your good work by having sugar-free candy a few days a week (like Fridays, and Sundays), or having a small bowl of your favorite ice cream once a week. (Believe it or not, sugar-free mini peanut butter cups are SO good, and you can 5 as a serving!) That way, while your having rice cakes as a snack you can think of the payoff at the end of the week! When I want something sweet I eat peppermint patties-they're low in fat, and satisfying. If you want to try some new cardio workouts, try bicycling with a friend, or roller skating. Also, if you want to know how much you burn with each workout, try the website listed. You just enter your weight, and how long you worked out and it gives you a list of about 150 activities and how many calories you burned. This is great because it allows you to see just how much you're burning, and that lets you keep track of your calories, so at the end of the week you know whether you can have Ben & Jerry's, or just 1/4 of a Milky Way. It might take about 3-6 weeks to visibly see the results, because the changes begin from the inside out. Also, be sure to consume plenty of fiber-helps absorb excess water you might have, and it pushes out stuff you don't want; eat lean protein, like veggie burgers, or grilled chicken-which both are low fat- that way you're fuller longer and thus eating less frequently, and in less amount. Throughout the day snack on fruits, or popcorn, cause you can have a lot with little to no fat. These food choices will ultimately help you lose the weight, and make your body resist gaining it back quickly. Hope this helps!( Self.com is a great resource!)

Answer 3

Ok, still to a good diet, there are many ways, too many to tell you. Though what I found works best is to stick to a diet that is semi-low in fat and very low, if any sugars, and low in carbs. If you eat carbs, eat them early in the day. Also, try to find foods that are high in fiber. Eat alot of greens because they are probably the best for you. As for exercise, I would increase some time spent working out. Along with a minimum of 2 hrs of cardio a week, weight train at least 3 days a week. Anywhere from 20-25 reps for 3 sets for each body part. Try to do at least 3 exercises for each body part. You main goal too is not to lose weight, its to lose body fat. Reason is, when you weight train, you may gain some weight and lose some fat because lean muscle is heavier than fat, but you will be tone. I know this info because I am a personal trainer. Fee free to ask me anything.

Answer 4

First, congrats on the loss! That's fantastic! I had the same problem after losing 50lbs. My doctor told me to do the cardio portion of my exercise 4 times a week for at least 45 minutes each time. He said that your body begins burning the most fat after 30 minutes of continuous exercise, so every minute after the first 30 you are in peak fat-burning mode. He also told me to eat every 3-4 hours...have a bowl of cereal and some fruit for breakfast, have a piece of low-fat cheese and fruit for a snack, eat a big salad with fat-free dressing and chicken or turkey for lunch, some fat-free yogurt for a snack, and some lean meat, veggies, and small potato or yam for supper, then a low-fat ice cream treat for dessert. It's helped me get back on track and losing again, and I don't feel like I'm dieting at all! Good luck!!

Answer 5

First of all, congratulations on your weight loss--if you were that much over weight. You are to be commended for losing it!

Second, eat your largest meal at breakfast. It's like filling a car with fuel, you run on it all day and run it out. Eat a moderate meal at lunch and either skip the evening meal, or eat only low cal stuff. Don't eat anything after about 5 p.m. Your food needs time to digest before you go to sleep. You sleep better that way, too.

If you eat a lot of calories before sleeping there's really no place for them to be burned and they have to be stored as fat.

Just stay on a sensible diet for your whole life. It IS harder to loose the last little bit. But don't dispair. Instead of being on a diet, change your eating habits for your lifetime. I went on a lifetime 'diet' (vegetarian, actually, and no sweets, except fruit, and no pop) like 20 years ago. One day I was trying on clothes at a shop with my sister. My size clothes kept being too big, so we got a smaller size. My sister looked at me and said, "You're so tiny! I never realized you were so tiny!" I hadn't either, because I hadn't been tiny. I looked in the mirror and realized all the extra weight was gone! Don't know exactly when it happened, but am very glad I went on that lifetime 'diet.' It's nice to be living my life as a slender person.

You can do it. God bless! (Ask Him to).

Answer 6

If you exercise 4 to 5 days a week you should see some good results within a month. Good luck!

Answer 7

Eat a large breakfast and cut out sweets altogether.
Rather than increasing exercise, try varying it.

Answer 8

It's very possible you will. Your body tells you, don't you think? Congrats on losing 60 pounds. Success!! But eat good breakfast.

Answer 9

Frequency

This relates to how many times a week you need to exercise in order to become fitter or improve or maintain your health. To be healthy, experts recommend being physically active on at least five days out of seven.

This might sound like a lot, but don't forget that our bodies have evolved over four million years to hunt. With our biological inheritance, it's not surprising that to keep in shape we need to be active on most days.
Intensity

Exercise intensity can be measured in a number of different ways. In a laboratory it can be measured through gas analysis, looking at how much oxygen the exerciser is taking into the body and delivering to the working muscles. In the gym it can be measured using a heart rate monitor, which records the heart rate at different workloads. It can also be estimated using the Borg scale, which asks the exerciser how hard they perceive they're working.

The intensity at which you work can be described as either strenuous, moderate or mild. What constitutes a strenuous, moderate or mild exercise workload for you will depend on your current state of health and fitness. If you're an Olympic 10,000m runner, jogging one mile in nine minutes would count as mild activity. For most people, though, it would be strenuous or impossible!

Mild to moderate levels of physical activity are all that's required

As exercise scientists have discovered more about how the body responds to exercise programmes, they've discovered that for health purposes, mild to moderate levels of physical activity are all that's required.

For many of us, this means brisk or purposeful walking. Again, what brisk means will depend on your current state of health or fitness, but it definitely doesn't mean race walking as you'd see at the Olympics. It's a pace at which you feel you're making good progress while still being able to hold a conversation.
Duration

This is the length of time you need to spend being physically active in any one session. According to much of the research conducted over the past 20 years, you need to be active for up to 30 minutes, five days a week in order to benefit your health.

This might sound like a lot at first, but don't forget that you're only working at mild to moderate intensity. You don't have to run or do strenuous aerobics for half an hour; you simply have to walk.

If you haven't done much activity for some time, it's important to build up to this level over a period of weeks. This might mean starting with a walk of just five minutes.

If you're not sure how hard you can work or are worried about any health problems you may have, talk to your GP or practice nurse for help and advice. They might even refer you to a local leisure centre to work with an exercise professional - just be sure to check their qualifications first.
Putting it all together

The recommended physical activity guidelines from a range of expert bodies (including the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence in the UK and the American College of Sports Medicine) suggest that to improve your health, you should build up to being physically active at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes, five days a week.

A little goes a long way. The key message to take home is that any physical activity, no matter how small, is better than none.

We're increasingly living in a world where physical activity has been taken out of our lives. We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us, cars to transport us and desks at which to sit and work or study. One of the first lessons we learn at school is to 'sit still' - and we see nothing unusual in spending hours sitting or lying down while pictures move on a box in front of us.

Given these huge societal and cultural influences that have stopped us from moving, any physical activity is a health gain. There isn't a magic amount of exercise you need to do to get a benefit, the key is to make an effort and persevere. As soon as you move, you win!